Methods, systems, and media for resuming playback of media content across multiple devices

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for facilitating cross device resumable media content consumption. In an aspect, a system includes an update component that receives a media statistics update where the media statistics update includes information identifying an account, media content identification information, and a first playback time position associated with media content. A monitoring component is also included that identifies when the account accesses the media content associated with the media content identification information. A resume component is also included that plays back the media content at the first playback time position in response to identifying an access of the media content associated with the account.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/912,517, filed Jun. 7, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,467,359, which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to system(s) and method(s) that facilitateresuming media content playback across multiple devices.

BACKGROUND

As the numbers of Internet connected devices grow, it is not uncommonfor one person to have a desktop, laptop, mobile device, and/or tabletin their possession, and to switch frequently between them as theychange environments. When a user starts viewing a video, listening to anaudio file, or consuming another form of media on one device, it isuseful to be able to resume the media on another device. This isparticularly useful in the case of streaming long-form linear contentsuch as video, audio, or ordered collections of shorter form pieces(e.g., playlists of audio/video files). Current resuming systems requirea shutdown procedure which saves or bookmarks the last known position ofthe media.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in orderto provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the disclosure. Thissummary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure. It is intendedto neither identify key or critical elements of the disclosure nordelineate any scope of the particular aspects of the disclosure, or anyscope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of thespecification in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detaileddescription that is presented in this disclosure.

In accordance with an aspect, an update component receives mediastatistics update information periodically, wherein the informationincludes identification of a user account, media content identificationinformation, and a first playback time position. A monitoring componentis also included that identifies when media content associated with themedia content identification information is accessed. A resume componentis also included that delivers the media content at the first playbacktime position in response to the identifying by the monitoringcomponent.

Also disclosed herein is a method including receiving a media statisticsupdate at predefined intervals, where the media statistics updateincludes information identifying a user account, media contentidentification information, and a first playback time positionassociated with media content identified by the media contentidentification information. The method further includes receiving anotification that the user account is playing back the media content andproviding the media content at the first playback time positionidentified in the media statistics update.

Further disclosed herein is a system that includes a request componentthat generates an access request to media content on a server, whereinthe access request is associated with a user account and includesinformation identifying the media content. The system also includes aretrieval component that receives playback time position information forthe media content, where the playback time position information for themedia content, wherein the playback time position information includesinformation identifying a first playback time position in the mediacontent for the user account. Also included is a playback component thatsends a request to the server to resume the media content on a firstdevice at the first playback time position.

The following description and the annexed drawings set forth in detailcertain illustrative aspects of this disclosure. These aspects areindicative, however, of but a few of the various ways in which theprinciples of this disclosure may be employed. This disclosure isintended to include all such aspects and their equivalents. Otheradvantages and distinctive features of this disclosure will becomeapparent from the following detailed description of this disclosure whenconsidered in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an example system that facilitatescross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method for facilitating crossdevice resumable media consumption in accordance with various aspectsand embodiments described herein.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of another example method for facilitatingcross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of another example method for facilitatingcross device resumable media consumption in accordance with variousaspects and embodiments described herein.

FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram illustrating a suitable operatingenvironment in accordance with various aspects and embodiments.

FIG. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a sample-computing environmentin accordance with various aspects and embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The innovation is described with reference to the drawings, wherein likereference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In thefollowing description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specificdetails are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding ofthis innovation. It may be evident, however, that the innovation can bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownstructures and components are shown in block diagram form in order tofacilitate describing the innovation.

By way of introduction, the subject matter described in this disclosurerelates to systems and methods that facilitate resumable media contentconsumption across multiple devices. In an aspect, the system allowssmoothly moving between various devices, for instance, starting to watcha video on a desktop, and then leaving the desktop and continue watchingthe video on a mobile phone on your way home and then later on a tabletwithout having to save or bookmark your spot or opening the video andseeking to the last known position.

In various embodiments disclosed herein, the last known playbackposition in various forms of media can be saved in the cloud, externalto the device. In this way, a central place to save the last known pointwithin a video/audio/playlist is provided. In one embodiment, periodicpings and/or updates are sent to a server indicating the currentplayback time, and the last known playback time per content item issaved. In another embodiment, the last known playback time, saved in acookie, can be sent to a server when the app/browser is closed orre-opened. It is also possible to use a combination of both the aboveembodiments, since the cookie provides an accurate last known positionsince the position is saved when the browser or video is stopped, andreceiving playback times from the periodic pings work even in the caseof crashes, Internet connectivity loss, and similar events. The mediacan be resumed, based on either the cookie or the periodic ping, atwhichever playback time position is later.

In an embodiment, the playback time is provided periodically in responseto a ping from a server. In other embodiments, the playback time can bepiggy-backed on a video statistics ping which is sent at regularintervals to the media server. The playback time update can also includethe media content ID as well as information about the account which isassociated with the media content access.

Referring now to the drawings, with reference initially to FIG. 1, ablock diagram of an example system 100 that facilitates cross deviceresumable media consumption in accordance with various aspects andembodiments described herein is shown.

System 100 includes a first client device 102 that streams or otherwiseplays back media from a server 110 over a network 108. At regularintervals, client device 102 can send media statistics updates to server110. The media statistics updates can include information identifyingthe media that is being consumed or played back (e.g., content ID) onclient device 102 as well as information identifying the client device102 and an account 104 that is logged in on client device 102 and isassociated with the media content consumption. The media statisticsupdate can also include playback time position information specifyingthe current time position of the media at the time the playback timeposition information is collected from the client device 102. The mediastatistics update can be received by server 110 and the playback timeposition information, media content ID and account ID information can bestored in a database 112 on the server 110. The information can bestored in the database 112 for a predetermined period of time such asfor 1 month or some other defined period of time. The length of time theinformation is stored can also be changed based on the bandwidth andstorage limitations.

In another embodiment, server 110 pings client device 102 periodicallyand client device 102 sends the playback time position information inresponse to the ping. The media statistics update and the pings issuedby the server 110 can be sent every 40 seconds or at some other regulartime interval.

In an embodiment, the database 112 stores each playback time positionupdate for a month. In another embodiment, the database 112 overwriteseach previous update with the latest update for each media content itemthat is sent from the client 102. In another embodiment, the database112 overwrites each previous update with the latest update for eachmedia content item that is sent from any client associated with account104. In this way, the database 112 stores the last known position forthe media content item that has been viewed by account 104.

When the user stops viewing/listening to the media on client device 102,and moves to second client device 106, the user can resume watching atthe same position or near to the same position the user left offwatching on client device 102. In an embodiment, the server 110 candetect when an access request to the media content associated with themedia content ID is made and can determine which account is associatedwith the access request. Upon determining that account 104 is associatedwith the access request, server 110 can access from the database 112 thelast known playback time position for the media content viewed byaccount 104 and playback the media from that last known time position.

Turning now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a block diagram of an examplesystem 200 that facilitates cross device resumable media consumption inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments described herein. System200 includes a server 210 that facilitates cross device resumable mediaconsumption over a network 208 between client devices 202 and 206. Theserver 210 includes an update component 212, a monitoring component 214,a resume component 216, and a database 218.

Update component 212 can be configured to receive a media statisticsupdate from client device 202 where the media statistics update includesinformation identifying an account 204, media content identificationinformation, and a playback time position for the media content. Themedia statistics update includes information that facilitates smooth andefficient playback of media on client device 202, and the playback timeposition and other identifying information can be piggybacked on themedia statistics update in order to minimize additional bandwidth. Theplayback time position identifies the time elapsed in the media contentat the time the media statistics update is generated.

The monitoring component 214 can be configured to identify when theaccount 204 accesses the media content associated with the media contentidentification information. In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2,account 204 can access the media content from a different device (e.g.,client device 206) from which the account 204 previously played back themedia. In other embodiments, account 204 can access the media contentfrom the same device that account 204 previously accessed the mediacontent.

In an embodiment, monitoring component 214 receives a media accessrequest from account 204 and/or client device 206. The media accessrequest can include information identifying the media content that isbeing requested as well as information identifying the account 204 thatis requesting the media access. In some embodiments, the media accessrequest can include an indicator of whether or not the media has been atleast partially played back by account 204 before. If there is noindication that the media has been accessed before, resume component 216can playback the media at the beginning automatically, saving the server210 from having to search for a last known position.

The resume component 216 can be configured to deliver the media contentat the saved playback time position in response to identifying theaccess of the media content associated with the account 204. The resumecomponent 216 can search for the playback time position in the database218 by finding any saved playback time positions for the account 204 andthe media content. In one embodiment, there can be multiple savedplayback time positions for the media content and resume component 216will deliver, or provide for streaming, the media content at theposition that is furthest elapsed from the beginning of the media,regardless of whether the playback time position was saved most recentlyor not. In another embodiment, the resume component 216 will deliver themedia using the playback time position that was most recently receivedfrom the account 204, regardless of whether its saved position is themost elapsed or not.

Turning now to FIG. 3, illustrated is a block diagram of an examplesystem 300 that facilitates cross device resumable media consumption inaccordance with various aspects and embodiments described herein. System300 includes an update component 308 on a server 306 that receivesplayback time position information in a media statistics update from aclient device 302 playing back media content 304. The update component308 stores the playback time position for the media content in adatabase 310 on server 306.

The media statistics update can be collected by update component 308 atpredefined intervals (e.g., every 40 seconds). The intervals can beregular intervals, or the intervals can be varied based on a number offactors. The factors can include bandwidth and storage requirementsand/or limitations, user preferences associated with the user account,or based on the length of the media 304 being played back (e.g., shortermedia content can have more frequent media statistics updates, whilelonger media content 304 can have less frequent updates).

In an embodiment, update component 308 issues a ping/media statisticsupdate request to client device 302, and client device 302 sends theplayback time position and associated identifying information inresponse to receiving the ping from update component 308.

The update component 308 stores each playback time position update for apredetermined period of time. In another embodiment, the updatecomponent 308 overwrites each previous update with the latest update foreach media content item that is sent from the client 302. In anotherembodiment, the update component 308 overwrites each previous updatewith the latest update for each media content items that is sent fromany client associated with the user account. In this way, the updatecomponent 308 stores the last known position for the media content item304 that has been viewed by the user account.

With reference to FIG. 4, a block diagram of an example system 400 thatfacilitates cross device resumable media consumption in accordance withvarious aspects and embodiments described herein is shown. System 400includes a server 412 that facilitates the resumption of media contentover a network 410 between client device 402 and client device 408. Theserver 412 includes a cookie component 414, a resume component 416 and adatabase 418.

The cookie component 414 is configured to receive a cookie 404 fromclient device 402, wherein the cookie is associated with account 406 andincludes media content identification information and a playback timeposition. The cookie 404 is generated by the client device 402 and/orthe account 406 when the playback time position is saved by the user, orwhen the media is stopped or paused while being viewed on client device402 or when the browser is closed on client device 402.

In some embodiments, the client device 402 can send both the mediastatistics updates with a first playback time position in response topings from an update component (e.g., 212, 308) as well as cookies witha second playback time position. The first playback time position isreceived at regular intervals and automatically, whereas the secondplayback time position is received when the media content is stopped orthe browser is shut down. Therefore as long as the media content wasstopped in a normal manner, the second playback time position stored inthe cookie 404 is most likely the playback time position that is mostelapsed. However, in the case of crashes, lost power, or other eventswhich can interrupt the cookie saving process, the first playback timeposition received from the media statistics update may be the mostelapsed position.

When a monitoring component (e.g., monitoring component 214) detectsthat a client device 408 associated with account 406 is trying to accessthe media content with the saved playback time positions, resumecomponent 416 will search the database for the most recent playback timeposition. The resume component 416 will deliver the media for client 408at the first playback time position (from the media statistics update)in response to the first playback time position being later than thesecond playback time position, and will provide the media at the secondplayback time position (from the cookie 404) in response to the secondplayback time position being later than the first playback timeposition.

In an embodiment, cookie component 414 will determine whether clientdevice 408 has any stored cookies with playback time position for themedia content in response to detecting that client device 408 is tryingto access the media content. This can happen in cases that a user isreturning to client device 408 after previously watching the mediacontent on client device 408 and other devices. Cookie component 414 cansend a request to client device 408 for cookies and if there arecookies, resume component 416 can determine which playback time positionis latest, and provide the media from the latest saved playback timeposition.

Turning now to FIG. 5, a block diagram illustrates an example system 500that facilitates cross device resumable media consumption in accordancewith various aspects and embodiments described herein. System 500includes a client device 506 that resumes playback of previously watchedmedia content from a media server 504 via a network 502. The clientdevice 506 includes a request component 508, a retrieval component 510,and a playback component 512.

The request component 508 is configured to generate an access request tomedia content on the media server 504, where the access request isassociated with an account and contains information identifying themedia content. The retrieval component 510 is configured to receiveplayback time position information for the media content from the mediaserver 504, where the playback time position information includesinformation identifying a first playback time position in the mediacontent for the account.

In an embodiment, the first playback time position retrieved by theretrieval component 510 is based on playback time position informationreceived by the media server from a client device in the form of a mediastatistics update. The media statistics update can be from client 506 oranother client device that viewed the media content and which theaccount was logged in on.

Once the first playback time position is received by the retrievalcomponent 510, playback component 512 sends a request to the mediaserver 504 to resume the media content on client device 506 at the firstplayback time position. In another embodiment, playback component 512forwards through the media to the first playback time position andresumes the media from that position.

Turning now to FIG. 6 a block diagram of an example system 600 thatfacilitates cross device resumable media consumption in accordance withvarious aspects and embodiments described herein is shown. System 600includes a client device 606 that resumes playback of previously watchedmedia content on client device 612 from a media server 604 via a network602. The client device 606 includes a retrieval component 608, and aplayback component 610.

Retrieval component 608 receives a first playback time position frommedia server 604, where the first playback time position is based on amedia statistics update received by the media server 604. The retrievalcomponent 608 also receives a cookie 614 associated with the account,where the cookie 614 includes information identifying the media contentand a second playback time position associated with the account. In someembodiments, the cookie 614 is received from client device 612. In otherembodiments, the cookie 614 may be stored on the media server 604 oreven client 606 if the client 606 had previously viewed the mediacontent. Cookie 614 can be generated in response to a browser orapplication shutdown procedure on either client device 606 or clientdevice 612.

In one embodiment, playback component 610 can playback the media contentfrom the playback time position from the cookie or the media statisticsupdate, playing back whichever one has a later position. In anotherembodiment, playback component 610 can playback the media content at theplayback time position that was received most recently.

In view of the example systems/interface described herein, examplemethods that can be implemented in accordance with the disclosed subjectmatter can be further appreciated with reference to flowcharts in FIGS.7-9. For purposes of simplicity of explanation, example methodsdisclosed herein are presented and described as a series of acts;however, it is to be understood and appreciated that the disclosedsubject matter is not limited by the order of acts, as some acts mayoccur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from thatshown and described herein. For example, a method disclosed herein couldalternatively be represented as a series of interrelated states orevents, such as in a state diagram. Moreover, interaction diagram(s) mayrepresent methods in accordance with the disclosed subject matter whendisparate entities enact disparate portions of the methods. Furthermore,not all illustrated acts may be required to implement a method inaccordance with the subject specification. It should be furtherappreciated that the methods disclosed throughout the subjectspecification are capable of being stored on an article of manufactureto facilitate transporting and transferring such methods to computersfor execution by a processor or for storage in a memory.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of example method for facilitating cross deviceresumable media consumption in accordance with various aspects andembodiments described herein. Methodology 700 can begin at step 702,where the method includes receiving a media statistics update (e.g., byupdate component 212), wherein the media statistics update includesinformation identifying a user account, media content identificationinformation, and a first playback time position associated with mediacontent identified by the media content identification information.

The media statistics update can be received at predefined intervals(e.g., every 40 seconds). The intervals can be regular intervals, or theintervals can be varied based on a number of factors. The factors caninclude bandwidth and storage requirements and/or limitations, userpreferences associated with the user account, or based on the length ofthe media content being played back (e.g., shorter media content canhave more frequent media statistics updates, while longer media contentcan have less frequent updates).

The media statistics update can be issued in response to a ping/mediastatistics update request to a client device, and the client devicesends the playback time position and associated identifying informationin response to receiving the ping.

At step 704, the method includes receiving a notification that theaccount is playing back the media content (e.g., by monitoring component214). The media access request can include information identifying themedia content that is being requested as well as information identifyingthe account that is requesting the media access. In some embodiments,the media access request can include an indicator of whether or not themedia has been at least partially played back by the account before. Ifthere is no indication that the media has been accessed before, themedia can be played back at the beginning automatically, saving theserver from having to search for a last known position.

At step 706, the media content is provided (e.g., by resume component216) at the first playback time position identified in the mediastatistics update. In one embodiment, there can be multiple savedplayback time positions for the media content and the media content willbe played back at the position that is most elapsed from the beginningof the media, regardless of whether the playback time position was savedmost recently or not. In another embodiment, the media content will beplayed back using the playback time position that was most recentlyreceived from the account, regardless of whether it's saved position isthe most elapsed or not.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a flow diagram of another example method forfacilitating cross device resumable media consumption in accordance withvarious aspects and embodiments described herein is shown. Methodology800 can begin at step 802, where the method includes generating anaccess request (e.g., by request component 508) to media content on aserver, wherein the access request is associated with an account.

At step 804, a playback time position information for the media contentis received (e.g., by retrieval component 510) wherein the playback timeposition information includes information identifying a first playbacktime position in the media content for the account. At step 806, arequest is sent (e.g., by playback component 512) to the server toresume the media content on a first device at the first playback timeposition.

In addition to the various embodiments described in this disclosure, itis to be understood that other similar embodiments can be used ormodifications and additions can be made to the described embodiment(s)for performing the same or equivalent function of the correspondingembodiment(s) without deviating there from. Accordingly, the inventionis not to be limited to any single embodiment, but rather can beconstrued in breadth, spirit and scope in accordance with the appendedclaims.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of another example method forfacilitating cross device resumable media consumption in accordance withvarious aspects and embodiments described herein is shown. Methodology900 can begin at step 902, where the user (e.g., using account 104)plays back media content on a first device (e.g., client device 102).The first device can prepare media statistics updates in response topings from a server (e.g., 110) and the server can receive these mediastatistics updates from the first device at 904, where the mediastatistics updates include information that identifies a last knownplayback time position for the media content associated with theaccount. The server can receive these updates at predefined intervals.

At 906, when the server detects that a user accesses the media contentfrom a second device, based on tracking media accesses by the useraccount, at 908 the server can deliver the media content to the seconddevice at the most recent playback time position received from the firstdevice.

Example Operating Environments

The systems and processes described below can be embodied withinhardware, such as a server computer, a personal computer, a mobile phoneor tablet, and other consumer electronics capable of streaming andplaying back media. Further, the order in which some or all of theprocess blocks appear in each process should not be deemed limiting.Rather, it should be understood that some of the process blocks can beexecuted in a variety of orders, not all of which may be explicitlyillustrated in this disclosure.

With reference to FIG. 10, a suitable environment 1000 for implementingvarious aspects of the claimed subject matter includes a computer 1002.The computer 1002 includes a processing unit 1004, a system memory 1006,a codec 1005, and a system bus 1008. The system bus 1008 couples systemcomponents including, but not limited to, the system memory 1006 to theprocessing unit 1004. The processing unit 1004 can be any of variousavailable processors. Dual microprocessors and other multiprocessorarchitectures also can be employed as the processing unit 1004.

The system bus 1008 can be any of several types of bus structure(s)including the memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus orexternal bus, and/or a local bus using any variety of available busarchitectures including, but not limited to, Industrial StandardArchitecture (ISA), Micro-Channel Architecture (MSA), Extended ISA(EISA), Intelligent Drive Electronics (IDE), VESA Local Bus (VLB),Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Card Bus, Universal Serial Bus(USB), Advanced Graphics Port (AGP), Personal Computer Memory CardInternational Association bus (PCMCIA), Firewire (IEEE 1394), and SmallComputer Systems Interface (SCSI).

The system memory 1006 includes volatile memory 1010 and non-volatilememory 1012. The basic input/output system (BIOS), containing the basicroutines to transfer information between elements within the computer1002, such as during start-up, is stored in non-volatile memory 1012. Inaddition, according to present innovations, codec 1005 may include atleast one of an encoder or decoder, wherein the at least one of anencoder or decoder may consist of hardware, a combination of hardwareand software, or software. Although, codec 1005 is depicted as aseparate component, codec 1005 may be contained within non-volatilememory 1012. By way of illustration, and not limitation, non-volatilememory 1012 can include read only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM),electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasableprogrammable ROM (EEPROM), or flash memory. Volatile memory 1010includes random access memory (RAM), which acts as external cachememory. According to present aspects, the volatile memory may store thewrite operation retry logic (not shown in FIG. 10) and the like. By wayof illustration and not limitation, RAM is available in many forms suchas static RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM),double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), and enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM.

Computer 1002 may also include removable/non-removable,volatile/non-volatile computer storage medium. FIG. 10 illustrates, forexample, disk storage 1014. Disk storage 1014 includes, but is notlimited to, devices like a magnetic disk drive, solid state disk (SSD)floppy disk drive, tape drive, Jaz drive, Zip drive, LS-70 drive, flashmemory card, or memory stick. In addition, disk storage 1014 can includestorage medium separately or in combination with other storage mediumincluding, but not limited to, an optical disk drive such as a compactdisk ROM device (CD-ROM), CD recordable drive (CD-R Drive), CDrewritable drive (CD-RW Drive) or a digital versatile disk ROM drive(DVD-ROM). To facilitate connection of the disk storage devices 1014 tothe system bus 1008, a removable or non-removable interface is typicallyused, such as interface 1016.

It is to be appreciated that FIG. 10 describes software that acts as anintermediary between users and the basic computer resources described inthe suitable operating environment 1000. Such software includes anoperating system 1018. Operating system 1018, which can be stored ondisk storage 1014, acts to control and allocate resources of thecomputer system 1002. Applications 1020 take advantage of the managementof resources by operating system 1018 through program modules 1024, andprogram data 1026, such as the boot/shutdown transaction table and thelike, stored either in system memory 1006 or on disk storage 1014. It isto be appreciated that the claimed subject matter can be implementedwith various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

A user enters commands or information into the computer 1002 throughinput device(s) 1028. Input devices 1028 include, but are not limitedto, a pointing device such as a mouse, trackball, stylus, touch pad,keyboard, microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, TVtuner card, digital camera, digital video camera, web camera, and thelike. These and other input devices connect to the processing unit 1004through the system bus 1008 via interface port(s) 1030. Interfaceport(s) 1030 include, for example, a serial port, a parallel port, agame port, and a universal serial bus (USB). Output device(s) 1036 usesome of the same type of ports as input device(s). Thus, for example, aUSB port may be used to provide input to computer 1002, and to outputinformation from computer 1002 to an output device 1036. Output adapter1034 is provided to illustrate that there are some output devices 1036like monitors, speakers, and printers, among other output devices 1036,which require special adapters. The output adapters 1034 include, by wayof illustration and not limitation, video and sound cards that provide ameans of connection between the output device 1036 and the system bus1008. It should be noted that other devices and/or systems of devicesprovide both input and output capabilities such as remote computer(s)1038.

Computer 1002 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as remote computer(s)1038. The remote computer(s) 1038 can be a personal computer, a server,a router, a network PC, a workstation, a microprocessor based appliance,a peer device, a smart phone, a tablet, or other network node, andtypically includes many of the elements described relative to computer1002. For purposes of brevity, only a memory storage device 1040 isillustrated with remote computer(s) 1038. Remote computer(s) 1038 islogically connected to computer 1002 through a network interface 1042and then connected via communication connection(s) 1044. Networkinterface 1042 encompasses wire and/or wireless communication networkssuch as local-area networks (LAN) and wide-area networks (WAN) andcellular networks. LAN technologies include Fiber Distributed DataInterface (FDDI), Copper Distributed Data Interface (CDDI), Ethernet,Token Ring and the like. WAN technologies include, but are not limitedto, point-to-point links, circuit switching networks like IntegratedServices Digital Networks (ISDN) and variations thereon, packetswitching networks, and Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL).

Communication connection(s) 1044 refers to the hardware/softwareemployed to connect the network interface 1042 to the bus 1008. Whilecommunication connection 1044 is shown for illustrative clarity insidecomputer 1002, it can also be external to computer 1002. Thehardware/software necessary for connection to the network interface 1042includes, for exemplary purposes only, internal and externaltechnologies such as, modems including regular telephone grade modems,cable modems and DSL modems, ISDN adapters, and wired and wirelessEthernet cards, hubs, and routers.

Referring now to FIG. 11, there is illustrated a schematic block diagramof a computing environment 1100 in accordance with this disclosure. Thesystem 1100 includes one or more client(s) 1102 (e.g., laptops, smartphones, PDAs, media players, computers, portable electronic devices,tablets, and the like). The client(s) 1102 can be hardware and/orsoftware (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). The system 1100also includes one or more server(s) 1104. The server(s) 1104 can also behardware or hardware in combination with software (e.g., threads,processes, computing devices). The servers 1104 can house threads toperform transformations by employing aspects of this disclosure, forexample. One possible communication between a client 1102 and a server1104 can be in the form of a data packet transmitted between two or morecomputer processes wherein the data packet may include video data. Thedata packet can include a metadata, e.g., associated contextualinformation, for example. The system 1100 includes a communicationframework 1106 (e.g., a global communication network such as theInternet, or mobile network(s)) that can be employed to facilitatecommunications between the client(s) 1102 and the server(s) 1104.

Communications can be facilitated via a wired (including optical fiber)and/or wireless technology. The client(s) 1102 include or areoperatively connected to one or more client data store(s) 1108 that canbe employed to store information local to the client(s) 1102 (e.g.,associated contextual information). Similarly, the server(s) 1104 areoperatively include or are operatively connected to one or more serverdata store(s) 1110 that can be employed to store information local tothe servers 1104.

In one embodiment, a client 1102 can transfer an encoded file, inaccordance with the disclosed subject matter, to server 1104. Server1104 can store the file, decode the file, or transmit the file toanother client 1102. It is to be appreciated, that a client 1102 canalso transfer uncompressed file to a server 1104 and server 1104 cancompress the file in accordance with the disclosed subject matter.Likewise, server 1104 can encode video information and transmit theinformation via communication framework 1106 to one or more clients1102.

The illustrated aspects of the disclosure may also be practiced indistributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed byremote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork. In a distributed computing environment, program modules can belocated in both local and remote memory storage devices.

Moreover, it is to be appreciated that various components described inthis description can include electrical circuit(s) that can includecomponents and circuitry elements of suitable value in order toimplement the embodiments of the subject innovation(s). Furthermore, itcan be appreciated that many of the various components can beimplemented on one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips. For example,in one embodiment, a set of components can be implemented in a single ICchip. In other embodiments, one or more of respective components arefabricated or implemented on separate IC chips.

What has been described above includes examples of the embodiments ofthe present invention. It is, of course, not possible to describe everyconceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes ofdescribing the claimed subject matter, but it is to be appreciated thatmany further combinations and permutations of the subject innovation arepossible. Accordingly, the claimed subject matter is intended to embraceall such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within thespirit and scope of the appended claims. Moreover, the above descriptionof illustrated embodiments of the subject disclosure, including what isdescribed in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limitthe disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. While specificembodiments and examples are described in this disclosure forillustrative purposes, various modifications are possible that areconsidered within the scope of such embodiments and examples, as thoseskilled in the relevant art can recognize.

In particular and in regard to the various functions performed by theabove described components, devices, circuits, systems and the like, theterms used to describe such components are intended to correspond,unless otherwise indicated, to any component which performs thespecified function of the described component (e.g., a functionalequivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosedstructure, which performs the function in the disclosure illustratedexemplary aspects of the claimed subject matter. In this regard, it willalso be recognized that the innovation includes a system as well as acomputer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructionsfor performing the acts and/or events of the various methods of theclaimed subject matter.

The aforementioned systems/circuits/modules have been described withrespect to interaction between several components/blocks. It can beappreciated that such systems/circuits and components/blocks can includethose components or specified sub-components, some of the specifiedcomponents or sub-components, and/or additional components, andaccording to various permutations and combinations of the foregoing.Sub-components can also be implemented as components communicativelycoupled to other components rather than included within parentcomponents (hierarchical). Additionally, it should be noted that one ormore components may be combined into a single component providingaggregate functionality or divided into several separate sub-components,and any one or more middle layers, such as a management layer, may beprovided to communicatively couple to such sub-components in order toprovide integrated functionality. Any components described in thisdisclosure may also interact with one or more other components notspecifically described in this disclosure but known by those of skill inthe art.

In addition, while a particular feature of the subject innovation mayhave been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations,such feature may be combined with one or more other features of theother implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any givenor particular application. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms“includes,” “including,” “has,” “contains,” variants thereof, and othersimilar words are used in either the detailed description or the claims,these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising” as an open transition word without precluding anyadditional or other elements.

As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,”or the like are generally intended to refer to a computer-relatedentity, either hardware (e.g., a circuit), a combination of hardware andsoftware, software, or an entity related to an operational machine withone or more specific functionalities. For example, a component may be,but is not limited to being, a process running on a processor (e.g.,digital signal processor), a processor, an object, an executable, athread of execution, a program, and/or a computer. By way ofillustration, both an application running on a controller and thecontroller can be a component. One or more components may reside withina process and/or thread of execution and a component may be localized onone computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. Further,a “device” can come in the form of specially designed hardware;generalized hardware made specialized by the execution of softwarethereon that enables the hardware to perform specific function; softwarestored on a computer readable storage medium; software transmitted on acomputer readable transmission medium; or a combination thereof.

Moreover, the words “example” or “exemplary” are used in this disclosureto mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect ordesign described in this disclosure as “exemplary” is not necessarily tobe construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs.Rather, use of the words “example” or “exemplary” is intended to presentconcepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term“or” is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive“or”. That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, “Xemploys A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusivepermutations. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both Aand B, then “X employs A or B” is satisfied under any of the foregoinginstances. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in thisapplication and the appended claims should generally be construed tomean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from context tobe directed to a singular form.

Computing devices typically include a variety of media, which caninclude computer-readable storage media and/or communications media, inwhich these two terms are used in this description differently from oneanother as follows. Computer-readable storage media can be any availablestorage media that can be accessed by the computer, is typically of anon-transitory nature, and can include both volatile and nonvolatilemedia, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer-readable storage media can be implemented inconnection with any method or technology for storage of information suchas computer-readable instructions, program modules, structured data, orunstructured data. Computer-readable storage media can include, but arenot limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memorytechnology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disk (DVD) or other optical diskstorage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage orother magnetic storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitorymedia which can be used to store desired information. Computer-readablestorage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computingdevices, e.g., via access requests, queries or other data retrievalprotocols, for a variety of operations with respect to the informationstored by the medium.

On the other hand, communications media typically embodycomputer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules orother structured or unstructured data in a data signal that can betransitory such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave orother transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery ortransport media. The term “modulated data signal” or signals refers to asignal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed insuch a manner as to encode information in one or more signals. By way ofexample, and not limitation, communication media include wired media,such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless mediasuch as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

In view of the exemplary systems described above, methodologies that maybe implemented in accordance with the described subject matter will bebetter appreciated with reference to the flowcharts of the variousfigures. For simplicity of explanation, the methodologies are depictedand described as a series of acts. However, acts in accordance with thisdisclosure can occur in various orders and/or concurrently, and withother acts not presented and described in this disclosure. Furthermore,not all illustrated acts may be required to implement the methodologiesin accordance with certain aspects of this disclosure. In addition,those skilled in the art will understand and appreciate that themethodologies could alternatively be represented as a series ofinterrelated states via a state diagram or events. Additionally, itshould be appreciated that the methodologies disclosed in thisdisclosure are capable of being stored on an article of manufacture tofacilitate transporting and transferring such methodologies to computingdevices. The term article of manufacture, as used in this disclosure, isintended to encompass a computer program accessible from anycomputer-readable device or storage media.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for media guidance, the methodcomprising: transmitting, using a hardware processor, a plurality ofmedia update requests associated with a media content item to a clientdevice during the presentation of the media content item on the clientdevice, wherein each media update request queries the client device fora response that includes a device identifier, a media contentidentifier, a user account identifier, and a playback time positioncorresponding to position information of the media content item beingpresented along with statistical data relating to the presentation ofthe media content item on the client device; in response to receiving aresponse from the client device to one of the plurality of mediastatistics update requests, replacing, using the hardware processor, aprevious playback time position that is associated with the user accountidentifier with the playback time position extracted from the at leastone response from the client device; receiving, from a second clientdevice associated with the user account identifier, a request toplayback the media content item, wherein the second client device isassociated with a second playback time position; in response toreceiving the request to playback the media content item, comparing,using the hardware processor, the second playback time position with theplayback time position to determine which playback time position to usefor playback of the media content item; and causing, using the hardwareprocessor, the media content item to be presented on the second clientdevice at the playback time position based on the comparison.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the plurality of media update requests aretransmitted at predetermined time intervals.
 3. The method of claim 1,wherein the playback time position identifies an amount of time that haselapsed from a starting point of the media content item at the time amedia update request was received.
 4. The method of claim 1, furthercomprising: receiving information from the second client deviceassociated with the user account identifier in response to a browserclosing operation on the second client device; and extracting the secondplayback time position from the received information.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, wherein the received information includes a cookie file storedon the client device.
 6. The method of claim 4, wherein the mediacontent item is presented on the second client device at the playbacktime position in response to the comparison indicating that the playbacktime position is later in time than the second playback time positionand wherein the media content item is presented on the second clientdevice at the second playback time position in response to thecomparison indicating that the second playback time position is later intime than the playback time position.
 7. A system for media guidance,the system comprising: a hardware processor that is configured to:transmit a plurality of media update requests associated with a mediacontent item to a client device during the presentation of the mediacontent item on the client device, wherein each media update requestqueries the client device for a response that includes a deviceidentifier, a media content identifier, a user account identifier, and aplayback time position corresponding to position information of themedia content item being presented along with statistical data relatingto the presentation of the media content item on the client device; inresponse to receiving a response from the client device to one of theplurality of media statistics update requests, replace a previousplayback time position that is associated with the user accountidentifier with the playback time position extracted from the at leastone response from the client device; receive, from a second clientdevice associated with the user account identifier, a request toplayback the media content item, wherein the second client device isassociated with a second playback time position; in response toreceiving the request to playback the media content item, comparing thesecond playback time position with the playback time position todetermine which playback time position to use for playback of the mediacontent item; and cause the media content item to be presented on thesecond client device at the playback time position based on thecomparison.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the plurality of mediaupdate requests are transmitted at predetermined time intervals.
 9. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the playback time position identifies anamount of time that has elapsed from a starting point of the mediacontent item at the time a media update request was received.
 10. Thesystem of claim 7, wherein the hardware processor is further configuredto: receive information from the client device associated with the useraccount identifier in response to a browser closing operation on theclient device; and extract the second playback time position from thereceived information.
 11. The system of claim 10, wherein the receivedinformation includes a cookie file stored on the client device.
 12. Thesystem of claim 10, wherein the media content item is presented on thesecond client device at the playback time position in response to thecomparison indicating that the playback time position is later in timethan the second playback time position and wherein the media contentitem is presented on the second client device at the second playbacktime position in response to the comparison indicating that the secondplayback time position is later in time than the playback time position.13. A non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computerexecutable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform a method for providing media guidance, the methodcomprising: transmitting a plurality of media update requests associatedwith a media content item to a client device during the presentation ofthe media content item on the client device, wherein each media updaterequest queries the client device for a response that includes a deviceidentifier, a media content identifier, a user account identifier, and aplayback time position corresponding to position information of themedia content item being presented along with statistical data relatingto the presentation of the media content item on the client device; inresponse to receiving a response from the client device to one of theplurality of media statistics update requests, replacing a previousplayback time position that is associated with the user accountidentifier with the playback time position extracted from the at leastone response from the client device; receiving, from a second clientdevice associated with the user account identifier, a request toplayback the media content item, wherein the second client device isassociated with a second playback time position; in response toreceiving the request to playback the media content item, comparing thesecond playback time position with the playback time position todetermine which playback time position to use for playback of the mediacontent item; and causing the media content item to be presented on thesecond client device at the playback time position based on thecomparison.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13,wherein the plurality of media update requests are transmitted atpredetermined time intervals.
 15. The non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 13, wherein the playback time position identifies anamount of time that has elapsed from a starting point of the mediacontent item at the time a media update request was received.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the methodfurther comprises: receiving information from the client deviceassociated with the user account identifier in response to a browserclosing operation on the client device; and extracting the secondplayback time position from the received information.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein thereceived information includes a cookie file stored on the client device.18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein themedia content item is presented on the second client device at theplayback time position in response to the comparison indicating that theplayback time position is later in time than the second playback timeposition and wherein the media content item is presented on the secondclient device at the second playback time position in response to thecomparison indicating that the second playback time position is later intime than the playback time position.